Verily Life Sciences Launches Liftware Level Device to Help People with Limited Hand and Arm Mobility Eat with Confidence

Verily Life Sciences LLC (formerly Google Life Sciences), an Alphabet company, today announced the commercial launch of its second consumer product, the LiftwareTM Level, designed to help individuals with limited hand and arm mobility hold a utensil at the angle needed to easily feed themselves.

Liftware Level was designed to help people with limited hand and arm mobility, which may be related to cerebral palsy, spinal cord injury, Huntington's disease or post-stroke deficits, eat more easily. The restricted range of motion associated with these conditions may make it difficult to keep a utensil level while eating. The Liftware Level handle, combined with a spoon or fork attachment, is able to recognize the position of the hand at all times and intelligently adjust the angle of the utensil so users can eat without fear of spilling.

“One of the greatest pleasures in life is being able to enjoy a meal with friends and family—an activity that some may take for granted,” said Anupam Pathak, creator of Liftware and Technical Lead at Verily. “Liftware Level is a utensil designed to specifically address mealtime struggles facing individuals with limited mobility or range of motion. Designed and developed with significant input from physicians and potential users, we hope this new device will turn the everyday task of eating into a more pleasurable experience for more people living with movement disorders.”

Liftware Level is the second product in the Liftware family. The first Liftware product, LiftwareTM Steady, is a computerized stabilizing handle and a selection of similar utensil attachments designed to counteract the effects of hand tremors. Together, the two products provide different solutions for those living with movement disorders. In conjunction with the launch, the Huntington’s Disease Society of America (HDSA), with a charitable contribution from Teva Pharmaceuticals, will commence a donation program that will give free Liftware Level Starter Kits to those in need. Donated devices will be given on a first come, first serve basis to the initial 1,000 individuals that apply through the HDSA website at hdsa.org.

“For the estimated 30,000 Americans affected by Huntington’s disease, loss of independence to perform simple daily tasks is devastating,” said Louise Vetter, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Huntington’s Disease Society of America. “We believe that the new Liftware Level device will help many more people be empowered to improve their quality of life and truly enjoy mealtime again.” Liftware Level can be purchased through the company's online store. The product is available for order as of today, December 1st and is expected to ship before the holidays. The Starter Kit costs $195, and includes the handle, a soup spoon attachment, a carrying pouch, a hand strap, and a battery charger. It ships for free within the United States. A fork attachment can be purchased separately for an additional $35. About Liftware

Liftware is focused on improving the quality of life and independence for people living with motion-related disorders. The Liftware team, comprised of scientists and engineers, is developing smart devices that allow individuals to complete daily tasks more comfortably and with restored confidence. For more information, visit: liftware.com.

About Verily Life Sciences

Verily is a life sciences research and engineering organization focused on improving healthcare outcomes by applying the latest scientific and technological advances to significant problems in health and biology. By combining unparalleled capabilities in data organization and analytics services with robust scientific and product engineering expertise, Verily is targeting the dual objectives of creating tools and user-friendly platforms that capture a deeper and broader set of health data, and organizing the data so that it is useful and actionable. Verily partners with leading life sciences, medical device, and government organizations to leverage deep domain expertise and resources that enable exponentially faster development, meaningful advancements, and deployment at scale. For more information, visit: verily.com.

About the Huntington’s Disease Society of America

The Huntington’s Disease Society of America (HDSA) is the premier nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of everyone affected by Huntington’s disease, a rare, hereditary neurodegenerative disorder often described as having Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and ALS simultaneously.For more information, visit: hdsa.org.